Fine Lines
by Maudlin Mush
Summary: A highly placed doctor causes trouble for John Gage and Kel Bracket. A sequel to "Phantom Fears".
1. Chapter 1

**Fine lines ** **by MM**

disclaimer: The characters of Emergency do not belong to me. As foreshadowed in previous disclaimers I'm inflicting an 'original' character on the unsuspecting reader and Johnny is rather fragile. As always I'll help 'em up, dust them off, give 'em a smooch and send them back when I'm done.

rating: T

Note: This is a sequel to "Phantom Fears"

Note #2: Borrowing/extrapolating from all the writers that penned an abusive childhood for John Gage.

**Chapter 1**

Fire Captain Hank Stanley pushed past the insistent nurse and into exam room 4. Dr. Joe Early followed him in. The captain's young paramedic was sitting on the table, shoulders hunched, leaning forward, looking shamed and dejected. Standing over him, wearing a stethoscope and a gloat, was Dr. Hamilton, head of trauma for Rampart Hospital.

Early was confused by the sight. The cocky paramedic rarely was depressed and the look of shame was completely alien. Stanley immediately went to his man, positioning himself between him and the gloating doctor. He surreptitiously opened his turnout jacket and allowed Johnny Gage to hide his face against his side.

This seemed to please the attending physician. He looked as if he'd scored some great win in cowing the younger man. The look of victory dropped from his face as he swept his eyes over the older fireman and the angry, protective glare waiting there.

"Dr. Hamilton, what is happening?" Dr. Early decided someone should at least attempt to be professional. Hamilton picked up the chart and made some notations.

"Nothing, Joe. Mr. Gage was scraped up a bit but he's free to return to work," Hamilton stated.

"Nothing?" growled Stanley. "NOTHING?!" Johnny entire body flinched. This disturbed Early more than the shame. Gage was afraid of his captain? He watched as the older man rubbed his hand on the paramedic's arm. He then lowered his voice.

"Dr. Hamilton, I watched as this man was flung bodily into wooden crates by an explosion at a chemical plant. Attending paramedics believe he has cracked ribs and maybe a mild concussion. The wound on his side needs to be cleaned out and stitched. There is no way 'nothing' is wrong," his face hardened even as he forced the rest of his body to calm down.

"I am a doctor," Hamilton stated in an authoritarian voice. "If I decide nothing major is wrong, then nothing major is wrong! His side is tender and slightly bruised. He has a long scratch which I cleaned out with alcohol. Nothing major is wrong." Alcohol? Early could only stare. They never used alcohol to clean out wounds as it actually damaged the area more and hurt like crazy.

"Then I will take Johnny over to Memorial and have another 'doctor' look him over and decide if nothing 'major' is wrong," Stanley stated in a deep, challenging tone. "And when that doctor decides to treat him, I will be filing a complaint with Rampart's administrator and governing board."

Not wanting to cause that kind of problem, feeling that he should at least offer to mediate before real trouble could be generated, Early stepped in.

"Now Hank, I doubt that'd happen. Hamilton is the head of trauma..." he began only to be cut off by the angry captain.

"No! I will not let Johnny be treated this way. He's a valued member of my crew and he shouldn't be dismissed simply because YOU don't care for his 'type'." Stanley hissed.

His 'type'? Early didn't spend long wondering exactly what that meant although he had not experienced much prejudice among most of the hospital ER staff. Hamilton did not approve of the paramedic program. It was one of the reasons Dr. Kelly Brackett was the head of the program.

To be honest, Kel hadn't be particularly enthused about the program until Johnny and his partner Roy DeSoto began doing runs for Station 51. They were an amazing team that had saved many accident patients' lives. The team set the bar and standard for all teams in less than six months and Brackett had changed his tune becoming a staunch supporter and leader for the paramedic program out of Rampart.

"OK, then why don't I check Johnny over? Would that be satisfactory?" he asked carefully not wanting to drag the hospital into a situation that would reflect badly on its good name.

Hank considered this, looking down at the cringing paramedic. Johnny nodded slightly. With an exasperated hiss Hamilton slammed down the chart.

"Of all the childish things! There is nothing wrong with you John-ny," he said as crossly as possible, emphasizing the man's name. "When Early tells you that I'll be expecting two apologies!" He angrily stomped out of the exam room.

They remained in place for a long moment then Stanley patted his paramedic and gained eye contact.

"Ok, John, let Dr. Early look you over," he waited until the younger man pulled himself away from the protection of his captain and almost sheepishly looked at the doctor.

"Sorry, Dr. Early," he whispered.

"You don't need to apologize, John," Stanley said gently. "You know that Craig Brice couldn't possibly be wrong on everything." The older man referred to the attending paramedic.

"According to Brice? He probably caused the bruising by prodding me so hard," Johnny groused good-naturedly. Early had to smile. This was the paramedic he knew. He carefully began his examination. He helped remove the bloodied t-shirt exposing the bruised side.

This wasn't minor bruising. Nor were the cuts, plural, just a scrape. He gently probed the largest cut and discovered it was deep and still had dirt and splinters in it. His patient tensed in pain.

"Did Hamilton use much lidocane when he cleaned this out?" Early asked so he could adjust the dosage he would use. The paramedic's eyes dropped.

"No lidocane, Doc. He just poured the alcohol on top and used some gauze to clean it. Didn't think it needed a bandage."

"I'll be right back," Early said as he stepped out of the treatment room to gather supplies and order an x-ray.

An hour later complete with stitches and taped ribs Johnny was released. Early watched as Roy DeSoto herded his partner out to the squad. The younger man was pulled off shift for the rest of the week. Now the older doctor had the unenviable job of speaking with Dr. Hamilton.

Hamilton was initially angry at the impudence of Early: lecturing him on how to treat patients! But he changed his stance once he saw the x-rays and read the notations on the debris in the multiple cuts on the paramedic's side. Satisfied that the head of trauma recognized his mistake, they parted with a handshake and an assurance of treating the paramedics better. The older doctor decided to keep an eye on Hamilton when he worked with any of the paramedic teams. Hopefully he'd see how valuable they were and would accept them as Kel Brackett had.

Several months passed. Hamilton showed no more poor behavior towards any paramedic; at least as far as Early was able to discern. But he didn't see all of Hamilton's cases.

Dixie McCall and her nurses, on the other hand, saw all of his work as well as all of Early's, Bracket's and any other doctor in the ER. In fact, one of Dixie's practices was to meet weekly with her working staff (as many as possible) and discuss procedures. She chaired this meeting and available staff attended.

The part her staff enjoyed was that no doctors were invited; it was a place to discuss and blow off steam if need be. Several nurses had indicated they were uncomfortable working with Dr. Hamilton at times. The common denominator on those times always had to do with the DeSoto-Gage paramedic team.

It wasn't that Gage and DeSoto were incompetent at what they did. It was rather the reverse. The team simply performed above and beyond any of the other teams. Statistics weren't actually collected to determine this, but each month the ER cases were tabulated for treatment, level of success, and patient survey; their team always came out on top in many, if not most areas. Whereas these stats were used for recognition among the doctors and hospital staff, nothing was officially recognized for the paramedic and EMT crews that serviced the hospital.

Not officially, but the nurses knew. That was why complaints were raised on the less than polite interactions between the head of trauma and the young paramedic John Gage. Worse was the treatment of an injured Gage by Hamilton. Of course the nurses knew if they wanted to lodge a complaint it would have to go directly to the Hospital Administrator since the doctor in question was a department head. This could affect them directly as well if Hamilton was found innocent of any complaints they leveled.

They all knew a doctor of his calibre was more important than an RN.

So with Dixie's guidance they developed an unofficial policy: any runs by the DeSoto-Gage team would be discretely given to any other doctor on duty and Hamilton avoided at all costs. If Gage were to come in hurt, even a little scratch, then he'd be shuttled to one of the other available doctors; if there were none but Hamilton then one of the senior nurses would stay in the room at all times to monitor and deflect. It wasn't the best solution, but it was a workable one. It was put into effect immediately and all ER nurses were quietly notified.

With this one change things settled down. Hamilton was a good trauma specialist and he certainly benefitted the hospital. Keeping him away from Gage was relatively simple and none of the doctors caught on to their unofficial policy.

Unfortunately, Hamilton was more than a little prejudiced against Gage. He found other ways to undermine the young paramedic's self confidence every chance he got. His partner, Roy, bristled at these jabs, but given they were both told many times that Hamilton actually was in control of the paramedic program because he was over Brackett in the hospital, they felt they had no real recourse to stop the harassment.

Captain Stanley attempted to intercede, but he was also shot down. He then appealed to his fellow fire captains for help. No other paramedic team had any problems dealing with the head of trauma, although they had offered that Hamilton had said he had ultimate say in the running of the paramedic program. No one wanted to jeopardize such a beneficial program by lodging such a minor problem. After all, it only affected one man and by extension, one team out of many.

But it was agreed Captain Stanley could compile evidence of the alleged harrassment and when sufficient documentation was accepted by the fire captains they would collectively go to speak with their chief who would then see what could be done.

Stanley was not happy with the lack of support. He had the best team in the county and yet no one would stand up for them. He could go against his peers, but if it failed he would not have any support and might earn discipline himself. Not to mention Gage could be released from the paramedic program.

Rampart's nurses understood the feeling of frustration. They stepped up their efforts to protect their Johnny, and quietly monitored interactions with Hamilton. Gage himself worked harder to act respectful of the trauma doctor.

Now throw into the mix Dr. Kelly Brackett, head of ER. Professional, reserved, he worked with the paramedic teams and held monthly workshops to teach and review techniques used in the field. He was extremely pleased with the progress of the program, especially since he'd initially disliked the notion of hose jockeys playing doctor.

There had been a very shaky start to the entire program at Rampart. It nearly didn't become reality until Roy and John used their training, without approval or sanction, and stabilized three accident victims giving them the time to get transported to the ER. One had been Dixie herself. Their disregard of Bracket's own insistence they do nothing and wait at least 45 minutes for the "approved" personnel, saved her life.

Brackett heeded the wake-up call and gave his support to get the program approved by the legislature.

Which meant more techniques were taught. The next improvement to care was being trained to insert esophageal airways. Which meant being able to discern between the airway and the gastric passage. So when the first airway was utilized successfully, it happened to be Squad 51 that performed the procedure.

Johnny was bouncing in excitement after the rescue; even Roy was exuding pride in his young partner. Of course, the younger man wasn't taking full credit, but he was thrilled the intervention had worked so well and the patient was resting comfortably in the ER exam room waiting to be moved up to ICU. Dixie and Dr. Early certainly enjoyed the exuberance after a difficult morning in the ER.

Brackett joined them, letting them know they'd done a good job. Praise did not come easily or often from the head of ER and the happiness increased (including a slight blush) on both paramedics' faces. Secretly the doctor enjoyed Gage's enthusiasm as much or more than his colleagues.

Until Hamilton sauntered up and added his two-cents worth.

"So, you were able to get an esophageal airway in all by yourself, eh Johnny? Given your track record you were lucky, We should all be glad you didn't perforate anything on the way down!" he smirked sarcastically at the man. Brackett uneasily crossed his arms and leaned back.

"Well, Johnny does have the record for accidents I suppose, but those are accidents, Pat, and usually involve only himself. He and Roy trained hard on using those airways," he defended the two paramedics who's smiles had dimmed.

"Yeah, guess so," the head of trauma allowed with a snort. "Let's see how the other teams do, Johnny's an aberration." He tossed the chart he'd held onto the counter and walked away with a smile on his face. He gloried in the fact he'd stripped the smile off that face. Before Early, Brackett or Dixie could react Roy picked up the squad's supplies and called to his partner.

"Come on, Junior, no rest for the wicked." Gage gave a half-hearted lop-sided smile and dragged himself off behind his partner, their pleasure gone. Brackett called after them, further congratulating them, but only received a partial wave as they moved out the door to the squad beyond.

"What the hell was that all about?" Brackett demanded of his colleagues. "Why did Hamilton just insult my paramedics?"

"Kel, Dr. Hamilton has never supported the paramedic program," Early began. He was surprised when a normally level-headed nurse jumped in.

"The hell with that, Joe! You know he's been treating Johnny like crap since the first day he walked into Rampart," Dixie spat out furious. "The nurses noticed it right away."

"Why didn't you say something?" Brackett asked, taken aback.

"Who would listen to us? I alerted Joe to the problem over four months ago hoping he'd do something about it," Dixie said. "Joe, I even asked you what you were going to do. Did you even write it up?" Now Early was on the defensive.

"I didn't see the point. I spoke with Hamilton and pointed out his mistakes," the doctor said carefully. "He was not pleased with me at all but he did allow he hadn't treated Johnny correctly. He assured me he would not let it happen again."

Dixie growled and folded her arms defensively over her chest. Early switched to placating.

"I watched his interactions with all the paramedics when they came in; he didn't treat any of them callously after that."

"But did you watch his interactions with Johnny?" Dixie asked pointedly.

"Why? Hamilton did not support the paramedic program at all. But after our talk he at least listens to them and treats them with respect," Early was confused.

"It's not paramedics he's after," Dixie's voice dropped low. "It's just Johnny. I won't let him alone with Hamilton if I can possibly help it."

"Dixie, that's a serious accusation you're making," Brackett said sternly.

"Look, Kel, that is precisely why none of the nurses want to file a complaint," Dixie said. "We know we have our place in treating patients. We also know how widely respected Dr. Hamilton is and how inconsequential one young paramedic is. But none of us like the discrimination. We've handled it the best we can trying to keep those two apart."

"But Gage hasn't complained to me, nor has any other paramedic or fire captain," Brackett argued.

"Can they?" Dixie challenged. "Rumor has it that Hamilton told all the paramedics at one time or another he was ultimately in charge of their program and he could release any of them that didn't do their job to his satisfaction."

"WHAT?!" that certainly got Bracket's attention. Hamilton had absolutely no say over HIS program. The board of directors had specifically put Brackett in charge and he only answered to them and Rampart's administrator in regards to the program.

"You might consider that when you work with his paramedic teams," Dixie turned and walked down the hall leaving two confused and concerned men.

"Joe, what happened?" Brackett asked. Early suggested coffee and the two men went in search of a more private corner. In detail the older doctor related the treatment of the paramedic.

To say the head of ER was concerned was evident. And a little ashamed of himself. He'd been more upset that Hamilton was taking credit for his program than by the problems the paramedic had been experiencing. Addressing who was actually in charge of the program would be simple. Trying to intercede in a discrimination matter was more problematic given the accused.

Brackett himself would need to correct both problems. He would talk to his paramedic teams at the monthly meetings and assure them he was in charge and refer to the policies set in place at Rampart. He would re-assert his position as head of the paramedic program.

He would also begin to quietly investigate the relationship between doctor and paramedic. A few trusted sets of ears and eyes in place and he would get to the bottom of the problem. Depending on the actual severity he would choose the appropriate solution.

It didn't take long to start his list. The next day a second team of paramedics were able to insert an esophageal airway with no problems. Hamilton was immediately all over the team praising them highly. When Bracket pointed out Gage had placed the first airway he was ignored. He waited for privacy.

"Don't get me wrong, Pat," Brackett gave a reserved smile at the doctor, "but yesterday you weren't quite as certain the airways were a good idea." He'd waited for the paramedics to clear out as well as the nurse.

"Oh, Kel, that was Johnny. He's a screw-up from the word go," Hamilton waved off the concern. "This team did a much better job. They should be written up and their work shared as a positive example."

"Both teams should be praised, not just the one," Brackett stated.

"Whatever, Kel," the head of trauma dismissively waved his hand as he walked alway.

Now that he was attuned to the problem, Brackett began seeing and hearing many small and subtle digs directed at the paramedic. He also ascertained from several other squads about the supposed chain of command at the hospital. He began to share the job chart with each team he met and planned to review these at the monthly meetings.

__________________________


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

To say Hamilton was not pleased with Brackett's re-assertion of power over the paramedic program was a definite understatement. He enjoyed the respect and fear of all the teams, including any fireman that ventured into his purvey. Even though there was no loss of respect, that ego boosting surge when he would subtly exert his power was gone. The administrator himself had reintroduced the complaint form and asked that any difficulties providing service be reported.

He, Hamilton, actually had received complaints! They were anonymous, but usually very accurate in describing the abuse of power subtle or not. He did, however, figure out where one of the complaints had originated from and managed to get that particular nurse kicked out of the ER/trauma area. When this demotion was gossiped around the complaints fell off. His power intact, Hamilton bided his time to take care of Brackett and Gage.

_________________________________

A month passed bringing the hot days of August. The heavy gear and clothing the firemen wore became positively oppressive to wear and crew members made sure everyone drank enough liquids and took salt tablets to make up for the sweat.

At 51 Captain Stanley had read about 'electrolytes' and the importance of replenishing them after hard work. He shared the article with his paramedics who in turn shared it with Dr. Early. Soon all the stations had a list of must-eat and must-drink items to supplement their salt tablets to help keep heat stroke and electrolyte imbalance from occurring.

Of course, this didn't prevent the more dangerous aspects of fire rescue from happening. A particularly virulent fire at a paint factory resulted in several resounding explosions that severely injured two paramedics and caused multiple smaller injuries to several others.

Brice and Gage were brought into the ER. Both had 'eaten' a lot of smoke. Add to that a broken leg and moderate concussion for Brice followed by broken and fractured ribs and a lesser concussion for Gage you had two very miserable men.

Hamilton and Early took on Brice. The nurses helped clean up the worst of the sweat and dirt while the doctors reviewed x-rays and set the leg. At least it was a clean break and did not require surgery. The skull was intact, but the swelling was worrisome so medication and a trip to the ICU was set up.

Brackett and Dixie took Johnny into exam room 3. Together they removed the heavy turn outs then the clothing underneath. Dixie quietly brought to the doctor's attention how thin the young man was. Before he was allowed to lay down, he was put on the scale. 12 pounds down from his last check-up. He was supposed to have gained 5 pounds back then. Brackett made some notations and let that drop for the time being.

Two ribs proved to be broken; one would need surgery to get it back to its rightful place. The slight concussion was just that and needed no special treatment. The smoke was a problem. Gage's lungs were congested and given his tendency towards pneumonia antibiotics were set up along with some pain medication. After being stabilized he was sent off to surgery.

Brice and Gage's crew mates were happy to know they would be alright. DeSoto was out of town with his family but Captain Stanley assured them he would get in contact with him later that day.

That evening Hamilton and Brackett were doing a final check on their respective patients. Brice's concussion was doing somewhat better; at least the swelling hadn't grown and the medication was working. Gage was in a lot of pain given that each breath was lanced with pain. His chest still sounded congested so Brackett ordered a stronger antibiotic and pain meds. He administered a dose of pain medication himself and allowed himself to linger, watching the pain melt away and Johnny's face soften into sleep. Brackett hated to see anyone suffer and felt doubly so for this particular man given all the trouble he'd suffered the past year.

Hamilton waited at the nurse's station writing in his set of charts. Brackett only had one patient at the time in this area so he simply slid the completed chart into the wall file. He nodded good night to his colleague and headed home.

Hamilton's smile grew as he shelved his charts and reached for Gage's. A few new notations, especially that the attending physician had over-medicated the patient, medications d/c'd and an order to remove the iv line with oral, weaker, antibiotics prescribed. Everything he ordered were within hospital guidelines -- for a patient who never had been hurt before. Or had a history of pneumonia. The night nurses would be coming on in an hour and would review charts at that time. Closing the now altered chart he slid it in and went home happy with his surprise for Gage and Brackett.

Kel Brackett entered Rampart just after 8 am. He'd slept well knowing his patient was taken care of. He briefly wondered why he felt so protective of Gage. He realized the past discrimination and tendency towards injury while still carrying on a high level of service caused him to be a bit more concerned.

Entering ER he noted the hospital administrator was reviewing charts with Dixie. Mentally sighing, he joined them. Discussions on treatments from the previous day seemed to be important, centering on his and Hamilton's patients. Finally Brackett had to ask.

"What's going on, Andrew?" he asked the sandy-haired man.

"One of the nurses in ICU was questioning a chart change on..." he checked his notes, "a Mr. Gage."

"Change? I charted last night before I left," Brackett said quickly. "He was in considerable pain and his lungs were very congested. I may have erred on the aggressive side with the antibiotic, but the pain meds were in line with hospital regs..."

"Kelly, I wasn't worried about your treatment," Andrew cut in.

"It seems Dr. Hamilton made some corrections to your course of treatment," Dixie interjected, her voice sharp with anger.

"What?!" the head of ER nearly shouted, he grabbed the chart and read the notions. "I need to go check on Johnny."

"Let's both go check," Andrew suggested. He took the chart from the doctor and followed him to the elevator.

Brackett burst into his patient's room while the administrator stopped at the nurse's station to drop off the chart. The doctor's progress was hampered by a cluster of interns and residents following Dr. Hamilton. When he pushed himself through he noticed Johnny was sitting up, sheets tossed aside, his gown off and bandages removed from his chest. He looked thoroughly miserable and in a great deal of pain as different interns took a look at his stitches and ribs.

"Well, hello Kelly," Hamilton's smile gloated his victory. "I was just showing my interns what broken ribs look like." He gestured towards two interns peering at a x-ray and another inspecting Gage's side.

"Also, note the extensive scarring on the back," he continued, "these are from childhood injuries that were inflicted by family members...." before he could continue this line of explanation Brackett forced himself between him and Johnny. Remembering what Early had said about that other 'incident' months back, he flipped his hospital jacket back and allowed the devastated man a place to hide. He pulled the gown up on the man's lap to provide some privacy.

"Dr. Brackett! I am conducting rounds!" Hamilton sternly complained.

"Mr. Gage is my patient and not on your rounds!" the doctor snapped angrily.

"But as I told my interns," the false smile plastered on his face, "Johnny is a useful learning case. Besides the obvious work-related damage, he's perfect to discuss child abuse as well as native Americans' tendency to become addicted to drugs and alcohol." There, he'd really driven in his knives and watched with a smirk as the young paramedic's shoulders shook with silent sobs. Who was the one with the power, eh? He knew he was well within his bounds as a mentor to new doctors. Plus, he knew his position as Head of Trauma allowed him to over-ride other physician's treatment in the hospital. He knew who the board would support and that wouldn't be Brackett!

"Dr. Hamilton," Brackett growled, "that is enough!"

"But Kel, would you deny these fine interns the chance to see first hand these conditions? The pre-pneumonia fomenting in the lungs alone is educational," he said smoothly. If he puffed up any more he'd burst.

"Yes, he would deny them," a new voice sounded from behind the head of trauma. "And I will go one better, Dr. Hamilton. You are suspended without pay until I can investigate your reckless and inhumane treatment of Mr. Gage." The smile fell from his face as all vestiges of power were completely stripped away.

"But I wanted to further my interns..." he tried. Again he was compelled to shut up.

"You have thirty minutes to leave the hospital. You will be escorted by security," the administrator motioned to two security personnel at the door. "Your interns will be re-assigned pending your review by the hospital board."

Hamilton was manhandled out of the room complaining and threatening Brackett and Purcell. The administrator turned to the confused cluster of doctors-to-be.

"There are stringent rules and regulations regarding patient confidentiality as well as treatment. Dr. Hamilton seems to have violated many of them and I do not recall any information about Mr. Gage's childhood or family in his charts. Today's 'learning opportunity' is about how to loose your rights to practice in a hospital. I expect you to be in my office at two sharp this afternoon to discuss your new assignments." With a sharp jerk of his head the shell-shocked group left the room. Once he glared the group out of the room he turned back to Brackett and his patient.

"Kelly? What do you need?" Purcell lowered his voice but the concern bled through. This was not a side of the administrator Brackett saw often: the stubborn, number-crunching man was actually human. A nurse popped her head in the door.

"10 mg morphine,antiseptic cloths, rolled gauze to retape his chest, a new IV setup with D5W and the cleocin I ordered last night," he mentally checked off his needs. "Then if possible ask Dixie to come up so she can help me clean Johnny and settle him back into bed."

"I'll gather your things, Dr. Brackett," the nurse slipped out.

"I'll go send Nurse McCall up and check that ER is adequately covered," Purcell said quietly. "I'll get you covered as well." He made a motion to touch Gage's leg; both men noted the flinch.

"I am very sorry, Mr. Gage. Be assured I will take care of Dr. Hamilton and his atrocious behavior. Dr. Brackett will take care of you," the administrator nodded his goodbyes and left.

Gage was not ready to come out of hiding. He was still, his body stiff with pain. He was now running a fever. Normally Brackett would be out of his element comforting the injured man but Johnny brought out a tenderness he did not know he had. He continued to hold him gently, rubbing his patient's arm as he spoke softly to calm him.

The nurse returned with a tray filled with the requested items.

"Morphine first," the doctor said quietly. She had just inserted the needle when Dixie catapulted through the door.

"Hi, Dixie," Brackett said with a strained smile. "Johnny needs a quick clean-up and new gown."

"Of course, Kel," she responded in calm tones. "Don't worry Johnny, we'll take good care of you."

The morphine quickly reduced the sharp pains wracking the paramedic's body and his grasped on the doctor's jacket loosened.

"Sorry," he mumbled as he licked dry lips, "didn't mean cause so much trouble."

"You didn't cause any trouble, Johnny" Dixie said calmly as she set out towels and a basin of warm water. Since Johnny was still upright she cleaned the long planes of his back. Next he was carefully laid back on the bed. Both doctor and nurse carefully cleaned the rest of his body. Brackett noted the inflamed stitches and realized Hamilton and the interns had pulled them while prodding the ribs.

"Let's get the iv started, Johnny. Then we'll get a gown on you and change the bedding," he continued to speak to the drowsy man. Thank God the pain was under control!

Working as an efficient team, Dixie and Kel had Johnny tucked back in bed, iv set, orders written and breakfast brought in. Leaving Dix to tease some food into their patient, Brackett allowed himself a moment to collect himself as he cleaned up the debris around the room. He reflected on the docility of his patient and finally went back to him helping Dixie lower him down and dim the lights.

Johnny was a sight. He had dark circles around his eyes that almost looked like bruises from a sleepless night of pain. There was a deep, aching hurt that clung to his eyes as well as shame. He hadn't spoken but the one time and both nurse and doctor were worried about him. Finally Brackett had to lean over to gently embrace the silent man and brushed the hair back from his eyes, surprising Dixie, Johnny and himself.

"You're going to be just fine, Johnny," he softly. "Dixie and I will be in and out to check on you. You've done nothing wrong." This caused the young man to look up at the doctor, his dark eyes studying blue ones.

"Thank you, doc, Dixie," he said quietly. His eyes slid closed as he fell into an exhausted sleep.

Stopping at the nurse's station, Brackett rewrote his orders on Johnny's chart. After firmly telling the nurses that no changes were to be made to Gage's chart without his approval, he and Dixie fled to the cafeteria for coffee. They quietly discussed what had happened and determined their next course of action. So intent on the conversation they did not see Purcell approach them until he pulled out a chair to join them.

"From what I've discovered Dr. Hamilton gained access to Gage's personal information including old contact numbers. It seems Gage's partner and captain are now listed as next of kin," Purcell spoke quietly. "I spoke with a man who is Gage's maternal uncle." Both Dixie and Brackett were shocked as the Administrator hissed 'the bastard', shaking his head.

"Are you sure you should be telling us this?" Dixie asked, worried about patient confidentiality.

"You two are his primary caregivers in this hospital," Purcell explained. "As such, you need to know what the true story is since you'll have to deal with any gossip that comes of this. Hamilton has probably shared a lot of it with other personnel besides those interns." He took a sip of coffee checking to see if anyone was too close. Satisfied they were alone, he leaned forward.

"Mr. Gage lost his mother at childbirth. His father died in a traffic accident. He was drunk. He took two other people with him. Gage was then left with an uncle and aunt on the reservation," he paused to be sure they were following.

"And how did they treat Johnny?" Brackett asked.

"Seems the uncle abused him, taking a belt to him among other things. That's where the scars came from. He was not treated and no one noticed. I believe there was also a substantial amount of verbal abuse, simply by listening to how the uncle described Mr. Gage. The aunt finally, after 17 years, decided enough was enough and brought him out to Los Angeles to finish his high school education."

"17 years? She waited 17 years to get him out of that... environment?" Dixie was flabbergasted.

"The beatings became worse when he was in high school. His injuries were noticed by some of the coaches and they filed abuse charges. Seems she didn't realize the extent of the injuries since she'd been abused as well. In any event, she did get them both out of there. She died in February which was when the new numbers and next of kin were added," he allowed this information to be digested.

"I believe that Johnny's had counseling on this and another matter," the doctor commented.

"Yes, it's noted he's had counseling in the chart," Purcell confirmed. "Including the number of his therapist."

"It explains a lot, including his shame when his back was exposed," Dixie mused.

"Abused children often feel they deserved the beatings," Brackett added.

"I must admit I personally feel horrible about how Mr. Gage has been treated by a supposed valued member of Rampart. I want you to do what you can to make sure his is well taken care of from now on," a small smile and blush hit his cheeks. "Of course, the number-crunching administrator in me is quite worried about the potential for a law suit..." The threesome all chuckled.

"I doubt Johnny would do that," Dixie said. "Although he does have the right."

"Which is why I am embarrassed by my thinking about it," Purcell noted. "For now, let's just concentrate on getting Mr. Gage well." Standing, he took his coffee and left the cafeteria. Dixie and Brackett followed suit, returning to ER.

For the next few hours they were kept busy with patients. They took turns checking in on the paramedic. He seemed to be willing to sleep the morning away.

During a lull Early, Brackett and some nurses were busy finishing their charting. They were taken by surprise by a very upset fire captain.

"WHAT happened to Johnny!?" Hank Stanley tried hard not to yell, but he was furious. "I went to visit him and he looks worse than when we brought him in!"

"Captain..." Dixie came up from behind and tried to placate the angry man.

"Don't 'captain' me, Ms. McCall," he growled. Brackett weighed in.

"Hank! You have every right to be upset," he began. "Come to my office and I'll try to explain what's happened."

"You better do better than try!" he retorted.

____________________________


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The angry man was led down a hall and seated in Dr. Bracket's office. Early followed as he'd been involved several months prior. Brackett jumped in quickly and began to explain the situation when Purcell entered the office.

"Captain Stanley," the administrator offered a hand. It was ignored. The hand was tucked back into a pocket.

"From what I heard and saw today," Purcell took over, "your young colleague was harassed and humiliated by Dr. Hamilton." He went on to explain exactly what had happened and what was being done to correct the problem.

"If you have any documented incidents which would collaborate Dr. Hamilton's abuse, I would like to include it in my termination proceedings.

"Any? I have quite a few," Stanley snorted. "I went to my peers' board and they refused to take any action without multiple proofs of harassment."

"The other thing that bothers me is how much weight he's lost since his last check-up," Brackett interjected before the captain could go off on another, justifiable, tirade. "He is 12 pounds lighter, and at his physical he needed to gain 5 pounds."

"Would you believe he's actually put on three pounds in the past 5 weeks?" the fire captain raised eyebrows.

"Put on?" Early queried.

"The county decided to start a 'get healthy' drive. A lot of men needed to lose weight. We had a big weigh-in on July 1st. The main reason we've had so much success is that no one could be put on medical leave if they didn't meet county guidelines," Stanley explained. "No one at 51 was in jeopardy of being over weight guidelines, but Johnny was actually two pounds under."

At that moment the walkie talkie squawked. "Cap? We're going up to John," a voice sounding like Marco Lopez reported.

"I'll be right there, out," Stanley replied before standing. "Given what has happened I want to make sure he eats something. He has a tendency not to eat when he's overly stressed."

"I'll join you," Brackett stood and followed the taller man out. As they were walking towards the elevator the doctor continued.

"When I stopped Hamilton yesterday I mimicked what you had done before. I offered to let him hide against me," Brackett stated. "Does he do that often?"

Jabbing the correct button, Stanley leaned against the wall. "Not very often. The counselor suggested it when the problems with one of the firemen at the station got out of control that I physically intercede. Johnny has been at the receiving end of a lot of teasing and harassment over the past year. He has dealt with it the best he could, then asked for help. Trust me, for a fireman to ask for help, especially when most people wrote it off as 'teasing', took a lot of guts." The door swept open and the two men headed down the hall.

"It laid the foundation for him to handle Hamilton. That bastard deserves to be stripped of his license." The captain was not pulling any punches. He turned into Gage's room.

Marco was opening take-out containers and organizing them on the rolling table. Mike Stoker was leaning over the bed trying to wake their sleeping colleague. Stanley moved to the other side of the bed and gently ran his hand over Gage's head and shoulder.

"Hey, sleepy head," he growled softly, "time to get up!" Used to obeying that voice all four men watch as the somnolent body stirred and drowsy eyes fluttered open.

"Cap," he stretched and winced immediately, "I sleep through the tones again?"

"Naw, you didn't," Hank helped shift him in the bed and pressed a button to raise his head. "But you were going to sleep through lunch. Marco got you some of your favorite soup from the deli."

Gage looked around and realized he wasn't at the station but rather was in the hospital. Of course, Dr. Brackett standing at the end of his bed should have been a tip-off. As all the neurons connected a look of panic swept through his face and he sat up a little too quickly. He gasped as Hank sat and put his arm around his paramedic to steady him.

"Brice? How's Brice doing?" Gage said in a rush. "H-hamilton said he wasn't gonna make it."

"Brice is doing fine," Brackett said. "He woke up this morning with a tremendous head ache but we moved him to step-down."

Brice never had been in danger of dying. Hamilton really was a bastard.

"He wouldn't leave the building until he got the drug box," Gage leaned slightly into the comfort of the older man. "I had to go back and drag him out. Then there was an explosion and I guess someone else had to drag us both out."

"Yep, yours truly!" a spirited voice sounded from the door as Chet Kelly, the fourth fireman from engine 51, sauntered in.

"Hey, I helped!" protested Marco with a smile. "How is Brice doing?"

"Well, he feels a bit stupid for not leaving that drug box behind," Kelly reported. He continued to chatter about the fire and subsequent clean-up as Mike and Hank proceeded to get Gage involved in his lunch. Brackett watched with interest as dessert was given to him first while the sliced fruit was moved away. Gage rolled his eyes and began to eat the chocolate pudding. As that was finished a modest bowl of soup, complete with a matzo ball, was moved into position.

Muted tones came through the HT units. "Engine 51, trash fire at 4328 Maple...." Marco wrote the information down as the captain accepted the assignment. As they were leaving Hank turned around.

"At least half of that soup, Gage. Then you can have the fruit, got it?" he said sternly. The ill paramedic pouted.

"Yeah, cap, half the soup first," he watched them leave then turned back to the soup. Glancing up he realized Brackett was still there. A slight blush colored his cheeks.

"Morning, doc," he mumbled as he sliced a piece of matzo off and ate it. Brackett figured it was an invitation and moved up the bed to check for a fever. The patient was still too warm.

"Usually people eat dessert last," he casually mentioned. Again, Gage rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, 'cept I'm not that interested in dessert. So the nutritionist who came out to the station suggested I eat it first. I can't have my fruit or salad until I've eaten dessert and the main course first," he ate a little more soup. "Then Chet came up with some sort of protein supplement and Mike figured out how to mix it into a lot of different things, including pudding. I feel like the Station 51 group science project."

"Well, given that you're underweight, it helps," Brackett commented. "Although having five different mothers must be annoying."

"Five? No, I think it's more like 50 'cause even Roy and Cap's kids send me 'treats'." Gage snorted. A science project indeed. But well-loved. His expressive brown eyes softened as he recalled the care and tlc he'd received. As a survivor of child abuse, he flourished under the attention.

Brackett was pleased that so many people had stepped up to help Johnny, especially when he was hurt by outsiders to the firehouse family. Of course, it was easy to like the man; he gave his all to help others sometimes to the detriment of his own health. Being in the hospital right now was from going back into a dangerous situation to drag another man out. He stood there wool-gathering as he watched Gage manage to finish half the soup. With a shaky hand he reached for his sliced melon and banana.

Shaky?

"Johnny, are you in pain?" he rechecked forehead and began to count his pulse.

"Yeah, kinda achy," he muttered distractedly as he speared the bright red fruit.

"When were you going to mention it?" Brackett huffed. He was rewarded with two big brown eyes reflecting innocence.

"When I finished my fruit," he said. This caused the doctor to chuckle and ruffle his hair.

"I wouldn't take your fruit away," he realized he'd been right when his patient smiled almost shyly. It struck Brackett that the man must have had other things taken away if he'd complained. Leaving him to concentrate on his lunch, the doctor went to gather some meds.

Soon Brackett returned and injected an analgesic and pain med into the iv port. He glanced at the empty fruit dish. He wondered why the fruit was preferred over pudding and favorite soup. He pulled the cart out of the way so he could get closer to his patient.

Johnny turned drowsy eyes up to the doctor. He made no comment as the towel bib was removed and the blanket pulled up. Finally the bed was lowered and the overhead light switched off.

"Would you like anything else? Maybe some fruit juice?" Brackett asked.

"Maybe later. I'm kind of sleepy," Johnny admitted.

"Kind of?" he teased. "Go to sleep, Johnny. Dix and I will be in and out."

Gage managed to sleep the afternoon away, his fever moving between 100 and 103. The wound on his ribcage was warm to the touch and the edges were red and angry. After conferring with Early, Brackett decided to give the antibiotics another 12 hours to overcome the infection.

About 6 o'clock Emily Stanley showed up in Johnny's room. She opened the blinds letting in the sunlight. Then she moved to the bed and ran her hand over the sleeping man's head and shoulder like her husband had hours before. She smiled as he opened drowsy brown eyes.

"Hi sleepy head," she said quietly. "Mike sent you some of his famous chicken." She watched as he oriented himself then give her a small smile.

"But I just ate lunch," he said groaned softly.

"That was over 5 hours ago. Ruthie sent cookies," she offered. Dixie and Brackett chose that moment to come in. He'd wanted to check stitches and she came along to help.

"Hi, I'm Captain Stanley's wife, Emily," she turned slightly with a smile. Brackett moved to the other side of the bed while Dixie joined her.

"I remember, Emily," Dixie smiled, "but I bet Kelly can't." Brackett rolled his eyes. He was pants at remembering names!

"Hello, Mrs. Stanley," he said as he checked his patient's fever. Still too warm. "So, what's for dinner?"

"Mike made chicken and potatoes," she said. "Plus green beans."

"Don't forget Ruthie's cookies," Johnny said as he allowed the doctor to check his glands on his neck. Dixie looked at his chart.

"Maybe we should go wash up in the bathroom," she suggested. With the constant iv he had to be bursting. Nodding in agreement, Johnny carefully sat up on the edge of the bed. He sat there making sure he wouldn't be dizzy. Brackett offered his arm to support the ill man.

A quick trip into the bathroom allowed the doctor to check Johnny's stitches, which were still inflamed and sore to the touch. A good wash then a second gown was put on like a robe to give him a little more coverage. He managed to get back into bed with minimal help although Emily happily mothered him, tucking in his covers.

"The nurse will bring in your meds after you eat," Brackett gave Johnny a final pat as he and Dixie left him to eat dinner.

Brackett checked on his patient once more before going home for the evening. The fever was still up, but the pain was being managed with analgesics and morphine. He left a note to call if the fever increased or any major changes in his pain.

_____________________________


	4. Chapter 4

note: I feel like Roy after he fell off the cliff.... "Oops!" Here's the correct chapter!!

**Chapter 4**

The next morning Brackett pushed into ER and found Dixie securing her station.

"Would you come up with me to see Johnny?" he asked. "After yesterday morning I'd feel better with you to help."

"Do you think Hamilton came back?" she asked. Brackett shook his head.

"No. But yesterday was quite a surprise and Johnny did calm down with you there," he admitted.

"The morphine and your TLC seemed to help, too," Dixie grinned at the slight blush on his cheeks.

"Johnny can bring out the soft side of people," he grumbled as they went to the elevator, "if they don't go nuts first."

They stopped at the nurses' station and pulled the chart. A glance at the night shift's notes were scanty; it seemed they'd only gone in to hang antibiotics and some morphine at 2 am. No remarks about fever or blood pressure or bathroom visits. Glancing at his wristwatch he passed the chart to Dixie.

"No morning readings?" Brackett comment.

"Well, shifts just changed but I don't know why they'd skip the 4 am readings," Dixie remarked. "Unless they forgot to chart them."

Not liking the way things were handled, Brackett led Dixie into Johnny's room. Johnny had managed to curl on his good side, tightly clutching blanket and extra pillow. As they got closer they could see him shivering. Reaching out, the doctor touched his shoulder.

"He's damp," Brackett exclaimed.

"More than damp, Kel," Dixie stated, seeing soaked sheets.

"Dixie? Doc?" a weak voice called out.

"We're here, Johnny," comforted Dixie.

"I'm sorry I made a mess. I called and called but no one came," Johnny's face flushed. "I tried but I couldn't get out of bed."

"It's ok, Johnny," Brackett ran a comforting hand over his shoulder.

"We'll get you cleaned up," said Dixie. Gently she began peeling wet blankets and sheets off of the bed. The doctor went into the bathroom and made sure the shower was ready to rinse off his patient. Since his dressings were already wet a little more water wasn't going to hurt.

"Come on, tiger," Dixie gently urged her patient to sit on the edge of the bed. With a lot of help he was able to perch on the bedside. She busied herself clamping off his iv. Then she untied his gowns but didn't remove them.

Brackett returned and offered the shaky man his arm, lifting him off the bed. They waited a moment until he gained his balance. He shuffled into the bathroom. Dixie was surprised that Kel took over cleaning Gage. As she stripped then remade the bed she listened to the doctor's deep voice keeping up a soothing chatter.

The day shift nurse, Susie, entered the room with her cart ready to do the first check of the day. She was surprised to find Dixie finishing up the bed and Dr. Brackett toweling off the patient's hair.

"Ah, good," Brackett gave a tight smile when he saw Susie enter. "We need a set of vitals."

"I noticed there were no vitals recorded after 2 am," Susie mentioned. "I asked Marcy about that. She was really embarrassed. I guess she forgot."

"Johnny said he tried to call someone," Dixie said, "but no one answered." Susie pressed the call button, when it didn't work she looked behind the bed.

"It's unplugged," she said, plugging in the cord and checking other lines. "they cleaned rooms in the evening. The janitor probably knocked out the cable." She stood up and proceeded to take vitals. These were noted while Brackett helped Johnny up out of the chair and moved him over to his cleaned bed.

"I want to aspirate his wound," Brackett told Dixie. "It's weeping puss."

"I'll get some dakin solution," Dix began.

"And sterile scissors, new suturing kit, sterile gloves, gauze and tape," Brackett added. Before she answered the door opened and Mike Stoker came in carrying a small cooler and brown sack. He glanced at all the personnel in the room then went directly to Johnny.

"Hey, John, how are you doing?" he asked quietly.

"Been better," he allowed.

"Well, I brought you breakfast," Mike said as he wagged the bag in front of his friend. "Toast and peanut butter. And Mama Lopez came up with some fresh fruit and yogurt!" Johnny gave him a tired smile as his stomach had the audacity to growl.

Brackett watched with interest as still-warm toast was spread with peanut butter. A carton of berry-grape juice was opened and a straw pushed in. Johnny took a bite of toast and contently chewed while Mike talked about the afternoon Dodger's game that would be on TV.

Although not normal procedures, patients should not be eating, Brackett injected lidocane around the incision site. Puss was still trailing out of the wound. He snipped the middle stitches and tugged them out. Johnny finished his piece of toast and started on the yogurt. He gave a happy sigh after the first bite.

"Are you sure that's healthy?" Dixie asked with skepticism.

"Yep. Plain yogurt, lots of fresh berries and granola," Mike replied. "As well as a big scoop of protein powder. Chet has done a lot of research since he had to lose a few pounds."

"You don't add sugar?" Brackett looked up from his snipping.

"No," Johnny said as he swallowed. "Doesn't need to be sweetened. The fruit is all the sweet I want." The doctor contemplated this.

"Growing up I didn't get much fruit or vegetables. My uncle hunted and he thought potatoes were enough," the paramedic explained. "I got some at school at lunch. I never did get much sugary stuff."

"Let me know if this hurts," Brackett carefully palpitated the warm flesh. He was rewarded with a small gush of puss. Johnny gave a soft grunt of discomfort.

"Ok, that's just gross," he muttered as he set down his spoon turning his attention to the junk coming out of his body.

"Any pain?" Dixie asked as she readied a syringe of dakins.

"I can feel you prodding, but it doesn't hurt," Gage allowed. "Why is it infected? The surgeon must have cleaned it out before he closed it up."

"I'm sure he did, although I am willing to bet all those hands on your side yesterday weren't washed," Brackett reached for the syringe and began to flush out the wound. He felt his patient flinch under his hand. "Are you sure it doesn't hurt?"

"Well, that did," Johnny admitted. Brackett picked up the lidocane syringe and applied a bit more. He left his hand on his patient's flank. He felt muscles relax and gave him a light pat before continuing to irrigate. When he was satisfied the wound was clean he carefully re-sutured and placed a light bandage over it.

"Looks like someone isn't going to finish breakfast," Dixie smiled. Johnny had drifted off. "I'll have Susie put it in the fridge." She took the tupperwared yogurt and left Brackett to clean up.

"John seems awfully tired this morning," Mike ventured. After yesterday he wasn't sure he wanted to know if another problem had cropped up. Brackett was acting very uncomfortable. "Doctor?" he prodded.

"Johnny's call button had been pulled out last night by the janitorial crew so he wasn't able to get ahold of the nurse," Brackett explained as he moved away the rolling cart and shifted his patient in bed. He mumbled incoherently a moment. Stoker watched as Brackett soothed Gage back into a deep sleep, lowering the bed and tucking his blanket up where he liked it.

"He was cold and damp this morning when Dixie and I came in," he finally admitted. He felt Stoker's glare. "We cleaned him up and took care of the problem with the call button."

"Cap is going to be upset," Mike growled out.

"As if you aren't," Dixie retorted as she went to do a final check on Johnny. The three professionals stood in quite contemplation as the paramedic slept.

"When is Roy back?" Kel asked.

"Late tomorrow night," Mike answered. "He's driving down from Sacramento. Can Johnny go home? You know that Cap would take him 'til Roy is back."

"I'd feel comfortable sending him home with Roy," Brackett said with a frown.

"We're both off tomorrow," Dixie realized. She watched the doctor roll his shoulders back.

"Then I'll take Johnny home with me tonight," Brackett decided. This caused two sets of eyes to look at him in surprise.

"He doesn't need constant care, but I do want to leave the IV in at least another full day," he reasoned. "I just don't feel very confident about the patient care for John. I'm going to have to talk with Purcell this morning."

"If you take Johnny home, then we'll bring over lunch and dinner," said Mike. "I'm making spaghetti at the station tomorrow night and John loves it." Brackett considered refusing, but Dixie jumped in and accepted.

"I'll be over in the late afternoon," she said without asking. "So bring enough for three!" Mike had to chuckle.

"Seems like Johnny's going to get great care!" he smiled forgiving the two.

"Well, you better tell Roy to get his butt over there Saturday to pick him up!" Brackett growled. "I have other things to do than babysit hose jockeys!" Of course, the smile destroyed any semblance of irritation.

At eleven Mike was relieved by Captain Stanley again. He listened stoically while the previous night and morning's events were described.

"At least Bracket's going to take care of him tonight," Mike explained.

"Damned right. I know it's not his fault," Hank said, "but I am glad he's taking responsibility." A long sigh broke into his frustration and the two men noted that Johnny was waking up.

Stanley immediately moved closer to encourage his young friend. Sleep was good, but he needed to eat as well. They watched as he stretched, wincing at the pull in his side.

"I swear you're a cat, Gage," Mike commented.

"Does he purr?" Dixie asked as she came into the room. Drowsy eyes opened to the world. The nurse moved next to her patient and stroked back stray locks of hair and caressed his forehead and cheek. Johnny hummed happily at the gentle attention.

"I take that as a yes," chuckled the captain. Dixie began to take vitals as she chatted with the men.

"I hear Johnny's being farmed out tonight," Stanley broached the impending move. This caused the so named to look up somewhat confused.

"Ah, you heard about Kel's sleep-over," Dixie smiled.

"Sleep-over?" the paramedic asked.

"Yep, Doctor Brackett and Dixie are off tomorrow," Mike explained.

"He's a bit worried," Dixie continued. "You haven't had much luck during the night shift."

"He wants to be sure you get better," Hank added.

"Sleep-over?" Johnny repeated.

"Ah, I see you've told Johnny about tonight," Kelly Brackett walked in with a smile. He received three smiles and one look of complete incredulity. Johnny pulled the covers up and closed his eyes. Why did the doctor want him over? It had been hard enough accepting Captain Stanley liked to be with him.

"I think John needs to rest," Hank easily read the young man's body language. Mike knew that particular clue.

"Ok, Cap, I'll walk Dixie and Doc back to ER," he began to herd the medical personnel out of the room. He managed to clear the door with them and close it before the questions began.

"What is wrong?" began Dixie.

"Why are you manhandling me out of my patient's room?" Brackett demanded.

"I sorry, but I think Johnny was getting a little overwhelmed," Mike explained. "I don't know why, but Roy and Cap came up with that phrase to get him some privacy."

"Why would he need to clear the room?" Brackett was still a bit angry.

"Cap or Roy usually only use it when Chet Kelly gets way out of line or some other person is bothering Johnny. Marco and I know it means we need to help by getting the room clear," Mike explained the best he could.

"Well, you can take Dix back to ER," Brackett decided. "I am his physician and I will care for him." With that he went back into the room.

Hank leaned over Johnny and spoke softly, centering him. He knew being so sick and the incidents over the past two or three days had thrown the paramedic for an emotional loop. He'd just gotten his attention when the door opened and Dr. Brackett came in. He came to the bed and sat on the edge so he wouldn't tower over his patient.

Johnny's eyes slid closed again. Hank looked at the doctor with frustration. At least the man had enough sense to keep his mouth shut.

"Johnny, you're sick," Hank returned to his friend. "I can't take you home with me because you need an IV and Roy won't be back until late tomorrow."

"But, but, I'm just...nobody," Johnny opened his eyes and darted a glance at Brackett, then desperately sought out his captain's eyes.

"You're my patient, Johnny," Brackett chose that moment to step in. "And someone I consider a good friend." The look of disbelief was very clear. Kel stepped up his explanation.

"Johnny, you have made me a better doctor and person," Brackett decided to let go. "I was completely against the paramedic program, remember?" This brought the patient's attention back to the doctor. "Then you and Roy start bringing in people that would have died before. You gave them the chance to live until they got to me in the ER."

Reaching over he took Johnny's hand. "It hurts to see you in here, in pain." Kel continued. "It hurt even more to see what the abuse Hamilton and the night crew did to you. Of all people I've known, you are the most enthusiastic and dedicated; you never give up. I want to help you tonight as a friend. I need to know you are safe and cared for. Don't ever doubt your worth, Johnny."

"Sleep-over?" the paramedic asked, this time with a smile and suspiciously bright eyes.

"Sleep-over," Brackett asserted.

"Ok, then. But I don't have a sleeping bag or toothbrush with me," Johnny teased.

"I think I have a spare bed, kiddo," Kel's smile broadened. "And I'm sure there's a toothbrush running around here."

"It's time for lunch, pal," Hank finally reentered the conversation. "Emily made tuna salad the way you like it."

"I'm going to go back to work, gentlemen," Dr. Brackett stood up. Johnny gave a bright smile as the doctor left.

"I'll have Marco stop and pick up some clothing at your place," Hank said. "I took your keys from your locker."

"Can he pick up the three books on my coffee table for me, too?" Johnny asked as he watched Stanley pull out lunch. A tupperware full of tuna salad, bread, sliced fruit and chips. This interested the paramedic and his stomach had the audacity to growl.

"Down boy," Hank teased as he set up the tray to build lunch. Johnny happily helped by tucking potato chips under the bread on the tuna.

"Twit," an affectionate smile belay any ill feeling. He was especially pleased when the paramedic ate the entire sandwich without threat. Chips disappeared followed by the fruit. Finally a cookie was slowly nibbled interspersed with sips of milk.

After settling Johnny down in bed and the nurse administered medication, Hank pulled out his book to read. His paramedic fell asleep.

________________________________________________


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 **

note: I guess I wasn't finished.

The next day went peacefully enough. Gage was a model guest/patient and drowsed on the couch or read one of his book. Brackett easily went about his chores and gathered up laundry for the cleaners. It was rather nice having lunch delivered, although Kel was sure his neighbors wondered about the big red fire truck in front of his house. Hank assured him Emily would deliver dinner with much less fan fare.

The guys hung with Johnny about a half hour, making sure he ate and was comfortable. Once again Brackett was amazed by the paternal nature of the captain. He would expect Roy Desoto to look after his partner, but it was evident something had occurred which brought out Hank Stanley's protective side. The man even helped settle the young paramedic onto the couch for a nap. Marco did his level best to keep Chet's teasing to a minimum by enlisting him to help clean up the lunch dishes. Of course, you never knew what was going on in Mike's mind. He preferred to remain silent and observe.

The house descended back into quiet as the fire truck rumbled down the street. Kel decided to watch TV. He tugged a chair next to the couch and flipped through the channels settling on a show. He secretly enjoyed afternoon talk shows and figured Gage would sleep through the bulk of them.

A few hours passed in peace. Kel noted his patient occasionally peered at the TV, making no comments but an occasional snort of disbelief. About four there was a light knock on the front door. Switching off the TV he padded over in stocking feet to let Dixie in. He received a hug and kiss before she bee lined for Johnny.

"Hey Johnny," she said as she sat on the coffee table to check him out.

"Hi Dixie," he yawned. "Come to save me from hair styles of the rich and famous?" She glanced up at Brackett who'd assumed a defensive position.

"I was watching Mike Douglas," he explained, coloring slightly. She smirked. She knew Kel well enough to know his daytime TV preferences.

"Who was on?" she asked as she to count his pulse.

"Paul Williams," the doctor responded. "Talking about his latest album and diet."

Dixie nodded, distracted as she helped Johnny sit up and picked up the nearby glass of watery juice. He took several sips before drinking down the remainder of the liquid.

"Bathroom?" she queried as she set the container down. He nodded and allowed the nurse to help him up and carry his IV bag down the hallway.

When they returned a fresh glass of iced juice had appeared on the coffee table.

"It looks as if you're both doing ok," she said, "except for the hairstyle." She ruffled Johnny's tousled hair. He looked incredibly young.

"So, how's your day off going?" Kel quickly trying to change the conversation.

"Pretty good. Went to the salon for a wash and hair style," Dixie smirked as the paramedic did his level best not to laugh. Kel slumped back against the couch with a mock glare.

"Looks better than mine," Gage said with a straight face. Bracket just grumbled and watched as Dixie helped Johnny recline and covered him up. She then settled herself into the other arm chair.

The paramedic drifted as Kel and Dixie talked about music and Paul Williams in particular. Noting his patient was asleep the doctor had to smile. His companion looked over and grinned.

"He's kind of cute when he's asleep," Dixie teased.

"Definitely a lot quieter!" Kel added.

"How was his temperature today?" she shifted into medical.

"Still hovering around a hundred," he said. "But the incision site is looking less angry and there's a lot less seepage." He sighed and pushed back an annoying lock of hair.

"Worried?" she asked lightly.

"I hate the #1 rule!" Brackett said. "Especially since I haven't broken it in years."

"Slipped under the Head of ER's radar?" she gently teased. Kel looked nearly ashamed.

"Yeah," he agreed quietly. "I thought I was immune after all this time. I worry about all my patients, but I don't take them home!"

"Johnny is a special case, Kel, you know that!" Dixie said. "It's hard not to be involved even if he gets prickly about it."

"Long as I'm not a prick," the possum said. Both Doctor and Nurse looked at their friend. "Sorry, need to use the bathroom." He slowly pushed himself up and took the IV bag. He stood and swayed trying to get his balance. Kel was immediately at his side.

" 'so k, doc, I got it," he tried to move away. But Brackett wouldn't let go and slipped his arm around his waist, pulling him close.

"If I'm going to break the damned rule I'm going to shatter it!" he declared and took some of his friend's weight.

"Don't want ta be a problem, doc," Gage said quietly. His insecurity reared up and he wished he was back at the hospital where disinterested personnel would or wouldn't show up when he rang. He didn't belong here with the head of ER.

But Kelly Brackett was nothing if not stubborn. He held on and began the walk down the hall. He managed to get Johnny into the bathroom and gave him space to take care of his own needs. When he heard the flush and subsequent water running in the sink he opened the door and held a towel out to him.

"I want to lie down," Gage said. Kel did not like the tone of defeat.

"Then come back to the couch," he said.

"I'm in the way. I'll just lie down on the bed," Gage countered.

"You're not in the way, Johnny, and you're not going to hide in the bedroom," the doctor said gently, yet firmly. "I need to check your temperature, you seem a little warmer than earlier." Without comment the paramedic allowed himself to be put on the couch and a thermometer tucked under his tongue. He attempted to roll and hide against the back of the couch, but Kel easily kept him on his back.

"Dix, would you bring me some iced water in a bowl and two washcloths?" he asked as he laid a hand against a hot, dry, forehead. He moved the coffee table close and rested his hand on Gage's stomach counting the respirations. The nurse disappeared and shortly returned with the requested items. Kel was checking the thermometer.

"102.3," he relayed. "Let's get some acetaminophen on board." He busied himself wringing out a cloth and placing it on Johnny's forehead. The other went on his neck. He moved restlessly as the cloths were recooled and placed in various parts of his torso. Two white tablets were offered with a drink of water. Then another set of wash cloths came into play with more iced water.

Kel secured some bath towels and efficiently rolled his patient left and right getting the towels under and behind him. His robe and t-shirt were tugged off and his socks and slippers removed. Then washcloths were reapplied. Johnny started shivering, struggling slightly, complaining he was cold but his caretakers continued until the sheen of sweat began coating him. After 20 minutes the thermometer was once more placed under his tongue.

"Just under a hundred," Kel said with a smile. "Much better, Johnny."

"Do I get my shirt back?" he asked, now slightly embarrassed lying there stripped to his shorts. Dixie smiled down at him.

"I think we can find you a dry shirt," she brushed sweaty hair off an equally sweaty forehead. "But we need to towel you off, first."

"Let's get you sitting up," Kel gently tugged legs onto the floor and eased Johnny upright. Momentarily dizzy, he leaned forward and covered his eyes. The doctor wrung out a wash cloth and began wiping down his back and exposed torso. His hair was carefully toweled mostly dry before his torso was gently rubbed. A shirt was pulled over his head and then much to his chagrin his shorts were whisked off, the lower half was cleaned and dried then a dry pair of shorts were tugged on.

If he hadn't been so exhausted he'd have blushed six shades red. As it was he let himself be handled by his friends, snuggled back on the couch with a light blanket and a soothing hand stroking his hair as he fell asleep.

Dix and Kel picked up towels and damp clothes. Bowls were emptied and left in the kitchen sink. Two glasses of wine were poured and they returned to the front room. As he passed the couch the doctor touched the now cool face and adjusted the blanket.

"Yep, rule #1 has been completely demolished," Dix said as she commandeered Kel's chair's arm and deftly snugged against him.

"Did I take your chair?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No. I'm taking yours," she said with a slow smile. They gently kissed several times before contently rested against one another.

"I still say he's cute when he's asleep," Dixie said as she sipped her wine.

"Well, I have to change my statement somewhat," Kel took a small swallow. "He's quieter, but I like him him all bouncy. He's a force of nature."

"He is that!" she agreed. The doorbell caused them to untangle. Not a drop of wine spilled. Brackett set his glass down and opened the door to a smiling Emily Stanley. Picking up the sack and cake box at her feet he let her in and directed her towards the kitchen. The smell of garlic and tomato-basil filled his nose.

He had to swallow quickly so he wouldn't drool.

"That smells wonderful!" Dixie said as she followed them into the kitchen.

"Mike makes an excellent spaghetti," Emily said. "We had to convince him how good it was to get the recipe out of him." She put the pot on the stove and pulled out a package of narrow fettuccine and foil-wrapped bread. After she explained prep, she excused herself to see Johnny.

Seating herself on the coffee table she ran her hand over his cheek and forehead. He stirred and sleepy brown eyes opened. A small smile played over his lips.

"Hi, Emily," he murmured.

"Hi yourself, sweetie," she gently assured herself he was Ok. He allowed her mothering for the moment, too content and somnolent to fight. She talked to him quietly several minutes until he stretched and yawned becoming more alert. Then she eased back letting him gain some personal space. Dixie leaned over the back of the couch and nudged him up enough to slide a pillow behind his back.

"Thanks, Dixie," he gave her a smile, too.

"You're welcome," she said. "Kel's getting the bread heated and the water boiling for the pasta."

"Oh, yeah, Mike's spaghetti," the grin broadened. "I hope there's enough for you and Doc," a mischievous twinkle flashed in his eyes.

"I think the guys took your appetite in consideration when they packed it up," Emily retorted. "Joanne and the kids baked you a cake for dessert."

"Geeze," Kel entered the room. "Talk about spoiled! I don't get this kind of service when I'm sick!" He watched as Gage blushed and ducked his head. Emily chuckled as she pulled his head up getting him to look at her.

"Not spoiled, just well loved," she smiled. "Now, I need to get on home to feed my brood. You can give the pot to Roy tomorrow." She patted Johnny on the cheek and stood up knowing he needed the space to gain his composure. Too much and he'd shut down. Kel walked her out to her car.

"How's he doing, Dr. Brackett?" she asked once they were outside.

"Well, he spiked a fever earlier, but otherwise he's a model patient," he said. "Which surprised me a bit. He's usually pretty contentious at the hospital." She shrugged.

"All the emotional turmoil and fever lowered his defenses," Emily said. "He's pretty docile for Roy and us when we take care of him. It's just important to give him a little space for him to regroup."

"Yes, I suppose that makes sense," Kel considered. "Of course, I've never dealt with him outside of the hospital so it's a learning experience for both of us."

"He looks comfortable," Emily smiled as she got into her car. "I'm sure you're doing just fine." Kel waved as she turned out into the street.

*Maybe Rule #1 was more of a.... guideline*, he decided as he closed the door.


End file.
